Model train enthusiasts have long enjoyed constructing and operating model railroad systems in which separate track sections are joined together to form a predetermined route on which the model train can travel. Each of the separate track sections includes electrical conductors. Typically, electrical energy is supplied to the rails of the assembled track sections to energize the model train.
Model trains may be controlled digitally using digital command control (DCC), which is a standard system, defined by the National Model Railroad Association, for operating model railways. The DCC system typically employs one or more controls (throttles) and a DCC command station which, in some instances, may provide electrical power to the track and locomotive, or other devices, while pulsing the track power to transmit digital signals that control the model locomotives and any other digitally-controlled railcars or devices, including stationary devices such as turnouts and signals, for example. Alternatively, the DCC command station may control other devices which provide control signals to the model locomotives, railcars, or other devices. Typically, the DCC command station receives its instructions from a controller operated by a user. Based on the user instructions (e.g., speed, direction, lights on/off, whistle/horn, etc.), the DCC command station converts the user instructions into coded instructions that are transmitted via signals of a predetermined voltage.
Embodiments of the invention represent an advancement over the state of the art in systems that control model railways. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.